To be looked at as an epic hero, the first three …show more content…
Most people define a hero as a person who has superior or superhuman strength. Beowulf is “the strongest of the Geats- greater / And stronger” than anyone else in the world (lines 110-111). Saying this shows that if Beowulf cannot defeat Grendel then nobody else can. Beowulf shows how intelligent he is in lines 134-137 when “Beowulf arose with his men / Around him ordering a few to remain / With their weapons”. Beowulf is smart enough to realize that if nobody stays with the weapons somebody will steal them, and they will be left unarmed when a war breaks out. To be considered courageous, a person must face something that would frighten most. Beowulf does just that on numerous occasions in Beowulf. Beowulf faces and conquers Grendel in lines 515-517 “The victory, for the proof, hanging high / From the rafters where Beowulf had hung it, was the monsters / Arm, claw and shoulder and all”. The mighty water witch, Grendel’s mother, becomes troubled with the loss of her son and wants revenge on Herot. When she attacks Herot, Beowulf takes action and conquers her in lines 643-645 “Her body fell / To the floor, lifeless, the sword was wet / With her blood, and Beowulf rejoiced at the sight”. Some heroes use special powers, or costumes to help them win the fights against the bad guys. However, Beowulf believes in being ethical. He does not want to be …show more content…
If a person does not risk death for their society, they will not be considered a hero; one will be considered as just an ordinary person. However, Beowulf proves that he is not just an ordinary person when he performs brave deeds and is faced with death on numerous accounts for the good of his people. Beowulf faces Grendel, a man-eating monster; Grendel’s mother, a water witch; and the dragon, a hot breath and poisonous creature. When Beowulf faces Grendel’s mother in lines 620-623 “And in an instant she had him down, held helpless. / Squatting with her weight on his stomach, she drew / A dagger, brown with dried blood and prepared / To avenge her only son” he sees death right before him. He keeps fighting because in lines 683-684 Beowulf says “No man but me / Could hope to defeat this monster”. When Beowulf faced the dragon in lines 718-722 “The monster came quickly toward him, / Pouring out fire and smoke, hurrying / To its fate. Flames beat at the iron / Shield, and for a time it held, protected / Beowulf as he’d planned; then it began to melt” Beowulf’s life flashes before his eyes again when he realizing that the shield is not going to hold up, and he will die from the dragon. Beowulf upholds the ideals of the Anglo-Saxon society; courage, loyalty, and honor throughout the entire literature of